The field of the invention is plastic fabrication and the invention relates more particularly to lightweight resin/glass fiber covered plastic articles such as surfboards and the process for making the same.
Surfboards are typically made by shaping a rigid foam block which is cut and sanded to the desired shape and coated with various layers ending with a resin and glass fabric layer which provides the structural support for the user. Surfboards are subjected to a relatively large unit surface pressure such as by the user's knees which, if the resin and glass fabric layer is not sufficiently strong, will often crack, permitting water to enter the board. The typical solution to this problem is to provide a thicker resin and glass fiber layer, but this approach increases the weight of the surfboard which is a disadvantage. An "outside in" process is disclosed in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,955, but such board also required a relatively thick resin and glass fabric layer to prevent any cracking or crazing from external forces.